Switching from Spotify to YouTube Music: A Six-Month Journey

Prateek Panwar
2 min readJan 1, 2024

The Like-Dislike Conundrum

Right off the bat, YouTube Music threw me a curveball. Every video I’ve ever liked on YouTube was in my YouTube Music library. It felt like a messy closet with over a thousand tracks! The same went for my playlists. It’s a bit of a double-edged sword — convenient yet chaotic.

Missing the Social Vibe

One aspect of Spotify I really missed was its social connectivity. With YouTube Music, I couldn’t see what my friends were listening to, nor could I use any integration with Discord. This lack of feature made it impossible to listen to music together with friends, whether through Discord’s integration or directly within the app itself. It felt like a step back in terms of social interaction and sharing musical experiences.

Recommendations: A High Note

YouTube Music’s recommendation algorithm is like a mind reader! It’s uncanny how it suggests tracks that vibe with my current mood or genre. This feature alone made the switch worthwhile.

Lyrics Level Up

The lyrics feature got a major upgrade on YouTube Music. They’re synced beautifully with the song, complete with a cool, slightly blurred background. It’s a small touch, but it adds a lot to the listening experience.

An Ocean of Choices

YouTube Music’s library is vast. From official releases to user-uploaded tracks, it’s like an endless ocean of music. Songs I couldn’t find on Spotify? YouTube Music had them.

UI Smoothness: Butter!

Navigating through the YouTube Music app is a dream. It’s smooth as butter, no lags or hiccups. The gradients and layout of the home screen and recommendations are visually pleasing and intuitively organized.

Downloaded Music: A Breeze

While Spotify can be a bit finicky with downloaded music, YouTube Music handles offline tunes like a pro. I never encountered any hiccups playing my downloaded songs, even though managing them is a tad easier on Spotify.

Desktop Experience: Spotify Wins

When it comes to the desktop or web experience, Spotify takes the crown. YouTube Music doesn’t quite match up here. Spotify’s desktop app is more user-friendly, offering a more comprehensive and engaging experience.

Wrapping Up

So, there you have it — my six-month saga with YouTube Music. It’s been a mixed bag of impressive features and a few misses.

Happy listening, whichever platform you choose.

Note: The image featured in this blog post is courtesy of Rob Curran (@curranrob) | Unsplash Photo Community. Check out their amazing work.

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Prateek Panwar

Full-stack web developer specializing in JavaScript frameworks, with a growing interest in blockchain technology.